Last updated: October 28, 2026
ScatterChat is an independent website about online privacy and anonymity. We think a privacy site should collect as little about its readers as it can, and explain plainly what it does collect. This page covers what happens to your data when you visit scatterchat.com.
The short version
- We run a content website. We do not ask you to create an account.
- Our web server keeps standard technical logs, as nearly every website does.
- Some pages may use cookies, either our own or from analytics and advertising partners we may work with.
- Embedded videos and social posts come from other companies, who have their own privacy practices.
- Tools on this site that say they run in your browser do their processing on your device.
- We do not sell your personal data.
- You can ask us what we hold about you and ask us to delete it.
Who “we” are
“We”, “us” and “this site” mean ScatterChat and the people who run scatterchat.com. This policy applies only to this website. It does not cover other websites, apps or services, including any we mention or write about.
Information we collect
We collect very little, and most of it is collected automatically by the technology that delivers web pages.
Server logs
When your browser requests a page, our web server (or our hosting provider’s server) records basic technical details about that request. A typical log entry includes:
- Your IP address
- The date and time of the request
- The page or file requested
- The referring page, if your browser sends one
- Your browser and operating system, as reported by your user agent
- The response status (for example, whether the page loaded or returned an error)
We use these logs to keep the site running, fix errors, understand load and spot abuse such as spam, scraping or attacks. We do not use them to build profiles of individual readers.
Information you choose to send us
If you contact us, we receive whatever you include in your message, such as your name, email address and the content of what you wrote. If we offer a newsletter or comments in the future, we will collect the details you submit to use those features and will update this page to describe them.
What we do not collect
We do not ask for your real name, phone number, home address, government ID, payment details or wallet addresses to read this site.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files a website stores in your browser. Similar technologies include local storage and tracking pixels. We treat them the same way in this policy.
Cookies on this site fall into three groups:
| Type | Set by | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | This site | Keeps the site working, for example remembering a display preference or your cookie choices |
| Analytics | An analytics provider we may use | Counts visits and shows which pages are read, in aggregate |
| Advertising | An advertising partner we may use | Shows ads and measures whether they were seen or clicked |
Essential cookies do not track you across other websites. Analytics and advertising cookies may come from third parties, and those companies can sometimes recognise your browser on other sites that use their services.
Where the law requires it, we will ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies, and you can change your choice later.
Controlling cookies
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Most browsers also let you block third-party cookies on their own, which stops most cross-site tracking while keeping sites usable. Content blockers and privacy-focused browsers offer stronger protection. Blocking cookies will not stop you reading anything on this site.
Analytics
We may use an analytics service to understand how many people visit, which articles are useful and how readers find us. We prefer tools that collect less data, avoid cross-site tracking and do not require cookies, and we configure the tools we use to collect as little as practical, for example by shortening or anonymising IP addresses where the service supports it.
We look at analytics in aggregate: page views, popular articles, broad regions and referral sources. We do not try to identify individual readers from it.
Advertising
This site may show advertising to cover running costs. If we work with an advertising partner, that partner may use cookies or similar technologies to show ads, limit how often you see the same ad, prevent fraud and measure performance. Some partners may show ads based on your interests, depending on your location, your consent choices and your browser settings.
Advertising partners process this data under their own privacy policies. We do not give them your name, email address or messages you send us.
If you prefer not to see interest-based ads, you can decline advertising cookies where we offer a choice, block third-party cookies, or use the ad settings provided by the major ad platforms.
Embedded content from other sites
Some articles include content hosted elsewhere, such as YouTube videos, social media posts or code snippets. Embedded content behaves as if you visited the other site directly. That company may receive your IP address, set cookies, and track your interaction with the embed, especially if you are logged in to its service.
To reduce this, we:
- Use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com) for videos where possible
- Use click-to-load placeholders where practical, so nothing loads from the third party until you choose to play or view it
- Embed only where the content adds real value to the article
Links to other websites are not covered by this policy. Once you leave scatterchat.com, the other site’s policy applies.
Tools that run in your browser
Some pages on this site may offer interactive tools, such as checkers, generators or converters. When a tool page states that it runs in your browser, the processing happens locally on your device using JavaScript. The text, files or values you enter into that tool are not sent to our server.
Two honest caveats:
- Loading the tool page itself still creates a normal server log entry, as described above.
- If a tool needs to contact an outside service to work (for example, to look up public information), the tool page will say so, and that request will reveal your IP address to the service involved.
For anything sensitive, such as real private keys, seed phrases or passwords you use, our advice is the same as anywhere else: do not paste them into any website.
How we use information
We use the limited data we collect to:
- Deliver pages and keep the site secure and available
- Diagnose technical problems
- Understand which content is useful, in aggregate
- Show and measure advertising, where we run it
- Reply to messages you send us
- Meet legal obligations
We do not use your data for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Who we share it with
We share data only with service providers that help us run the site, and only as much as they need. These may include:
- Our web hosting and content delivery providers, which handle server logs
- Analytics and advertising partners, as described above
- Email providers, if you contact us
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the site and its readers from fraud or abuse, or as part of a sale or transfer of the site, in which case this policy would continue to apply to your data.
We do not sell your personal data
We do not sell personal data, and we do not trade reader lists or contact details. Advertising cookies set by third parties are the one area where some privacy laws use a broad definition of “selling” or “sharing”. If you want to opt out of that, decline advertising cookies where we offer a choice or block third-party cookies in your browser. We also honour the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as an opt-out request where our tools support it.
How long we keep data
We keep data for as short a time as practical:
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Raw server logs | Up to 90 days, unless needed longer to investigate a specific security issue |
| Aggregate analytics | Kept as long as useful, since it does not identify individuals |
| Messages you send us | As long as needed to deal with your message, then deleted unless there is a reason to keep the conversation |
| Cookies | Each cookie has its own expiry; essential cookies generally last no longer than a year, and you can delete them at any time |
Third-party partners keep data according to their own retention policies.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, privacy laws such as the GDPR in the EU and UK, or state laws in the US such as California’s, may give you some or all of these rights:
- Access: ask what personal data we hold about you
- Correction: ask us to fix inaccurate data
- Deletion: ask us to delete your data
- Objection and restriction: ask us to stop or limit certain uses
- Portability: ask for a copy of your data in a usable format
- Withdraw consent: change your cookie choices at any time
- Opt out: of targeted advertising or anything legally treated as a sale or share of data
We are happy to handle these requests for any reader, whatever your location. Because we collect so little, we may hold nothing that identifies you. Server logs are linked to IP addresses rather than names, so to find relevant entries we may need you to tell us your IP address and the approximate time of your visit. We will not ask for more information than we need to answer your request, and we will not treat you differently for making one.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you may also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
Security
We use HTTPS across the site so pages travel encrypted between our server and your browser. We limit who can access logs and administrative systems. No website can promise perfect security, but we keep the data we hold small, which also limits what could ever be exposed.
Children
This site is written for adults and is not directed at children under 13, or under 16 where local law sets a higher age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
International visitors
Our hosting and service providers may process data in countries other than the one you live in, including countries with different data protection laws. Where required, we rely on the safeguards those providers offer for international transfers.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when our practices change, for example if we add a newsletter, comments, a new analytics provider or advertising. The “Last updated” date at the top will always show when it was last revised. For significant changes, we will make a reasonable effort to point them out on the site.
Contacting us
For questions about this policy or to make a privacy request, use the contact page on this site. Tell us what you are asking for, and we will respond as quickly as we can.